


The Soul

by Fmfan1980



Series: Wishverse Sisters [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Drama, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 16:12:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6202177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fmfan1980/pseuds/Fmfan1980
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A take on the Wishverse (BtVS S03:E09; The Wish) as an AU of my AEM-verse. It's just a series of fics with each chapter an alternate reality of the Wishverse that exists in my head. Hope you guys enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the rights, characters, locations or plots from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stargate SG1; they belong to their respective owners without whom this fanfiction would not have been possible.

My Name is Hera Ren.

I was born over ten thousand years ago in a galaxy far, far, away. I know that sounds clichéd; I have seen the first time those words were played on a screen in what humans call movie theatres. But it my case it is quite literal. I was born in the Pegasus galaxy, three million lights years from what humans refer to as the Milky Way, in a great city that was the jewel of my people's civilization; the city of Atlantis. I was the younger sister of Athena; the daughter of Moros, the last High Councillor of Atlantis; and the daughter of Melina.. my mother who died immediately after I was born.

Athena would tell me stories of my mother, at least what she could remember. And I longed for her touch, her scent, her arms around me when I was upset and when I was happy. Make no mistake, I loved my father and my sister; in fact I still love her, despite what she has became.

As I look down at her standing next to creatures known as vampires, I can't help but recall our stories; our stories of how we arrived at this point in time.

It was ten thousand years ago that I died during an attempt to make peace with a race known as the Wraith against the wishes of my father. I believed that the Wraith, a race of beings that sucked the life force of humans beings… a race that treated humans like cattle would want peace after nearly a hundred years of war. In fact, despite my race being technologically advanced, we were still losing to them due to their superior numbers and technology that was at an equal footing to ours.

But I still wanted to try.

That was my mistake, a mistake that ended my life.

I remember my sister was captured, along with some of her companions, when they came to rescue me. I remembered screaming when the Keeper of the Wraith, the individual who would look after the Wraith soldiers while they hibernated, pushed her palm onto Athena's chest and stole some of her life force.

I saw Athena aging before my eyes until the Wraith soldier next to the keep ordered that she stop; that my sister was meant for the queen because of what she was trying to do… finding a cure for the Wraith. I remembered that the Keeper reluctantly returned Athena's life force to her before she turned to the Wraith soldier and told him that she was still hungry.

I remember when the soldier told the Keeper to take me instead, and it was then that my heart started to pound in my chest. I watched as Athena screamed while she tried to break out of the pod that she, like me, was trapped within. I watched with tears in my eyes as Athena begged for my life and offered hers instead. I told Athena to stop as the Keepers reached out with her hand and place it on my chest.

"Athena!"

I shouted Athena's name before telling her that I was sorry, that it was fault that she was there.

I saw the Keeper look back at Athena who shook her head while she was screaming again for my life, while the creature pulled her arm back. I knew exactly what was going to happen next; it was a foregone conclusion.

So I did what I could to calm my sister down.

I shouted for Athena to listen to me once again.

"I love you, my sister"

Those were the words I told Athena who just looked at me while I opened my mouth wide in pain. I could feel the Wraith's palm feeders piercing my skin while tears streamed down my face. I looked at Athena, and she was the same way.

"Goodbye"

That was the final word I told my sister as the Keeper's fingernails dug into my chest and she started feeding on my life-force in earnest. I then heard Athena screaming and threatening the Wraith, telling her that that she would kill their entire race. All I could think of was that I hoped my sister wouldn't go down the path of vengeance. As I smiled at my sister, I experienced what humans today refer to as seeing one's life flying before their eyes. I remembered playing with Athena, I remembered being in my father's arms, my father.. I remembered the times we'd look up at the star that my father told us was our mother looking down on us. I remember our happy times, I remember the times when we very angry at each other, I remember times when I wouldn't even talk to my sister; but one thing that remained constant was my love for her.

No matter what happened, I loved my sister.

She would tell me that I was her light; the light that pierced through the darkness of the war all around us.

And I would tell her that she was my heart; whenever I would go, whatever I would do… it felt as if Athena was always guiding me.

As the visions vanished, I watched my sister crying as my vision finally started to get clouded.

However, just before my life force was all but gone. I noticed a bright light in the corner of my eye. A bright white light that formed into a red haired figure in a white and gold dress; a figure that I had only seen in pictures.

And then I died.

Just as everything turned into darkness around me, just as quickly everything turned bright white and I found myself lying on a warm, white floor. I slowly got up to my feet at hearing the footsteps of someone behind me before I turned around. I turned and saw the most beautiful woman just looking back at me with her long, red curled hair falling along the sides of her face, with her standing nervously in front of me in her white and gold dress; and with her hands clasped together at the lower part of her body while she was playing with her thumbs.

"Hera?" said the woman as my heart started to beat faster and faster as remembered Athena telling me about her; I remembered my father telling me about their courtship, and their marriage to each other after four years. I remembered the pictures in the room that Athena and I shared while we were still children; all pictures of the woman standing in front of me.

"Mother" I said with a voice shaking with emotion; a voice that was about to break.

I ran towards the woman; I ran towards my mother as I screamed in happiness. I put my arms around her with tears flowing from my eyes, and she wrapped her arms tightly around me while she sobbed. The both of us staying close to one another with my head on her shoulder while I took in her scent, the same scent that some of the Athosian people would create; made with a mixture of different berries found on Athos.

I was finally with my mother.

We finally started to getting to know one another as mother and daughter, while at the same time we'd watch over Athena and my father; we could just observe, forbidden from intervention in the lives of those in the lower plains. I saw the darkness within Athena take over as she did everything she could to destroy the Wraith, and while the one project succeeded in killing an entire Wraith Cloning facility, it also killed innocents. My mother and I saw the Council deny Athena her other projects while we sighed with relief.

We watched as Athena returned to Earth with my people; Earth…. The planet of our ancestors. There she eventually met a lovely young girl. A young girl she tried to project but failed, a girl named Sineya…. The one that eventually became to be known as the First Slayer. After all of my sister's trials and tribulations; Sineya's loss and the loss of genetically engineered Clones that were used by the Furlings to power the demon that possessed Sineya, Athena finally broke. I stayed by her side constantly, alongside our mother, while Athena was in a catatonic state.

Eventually, Athena recovered and she admitted her guilt in creating the clones… something that she was forbidden to do. She was then exiled to Kheb, which was where I made my presence known. I would like to think that it was seeing me again that made her concentrate on training with Oma on Ascension.

It would be years later that the person I considered to be my heart finally ascended. I met her on a planet at the far end of the Milky Way as she flew through the Stargate. For the first time in decades, our family was finally together again. Sometimes the both of us would go exploring; two immortal sisters travelling from one galaxy to another in the vast universe. We watched civilizations rise and fall, we saw stars explode; releasing the building blocks of life into the universe.

We were happy.

But It would be thousands of years later that I would lose my sister again.

She descended to the lower plains so that she could help the eventual Slayer who should have arrived in the city known as Sunnydale. However, the girl never arrived… the girl was sent somewhere else by beings known as the Powers that Be; the same beings that sent down the so called prophesy of the First Slayer. I watched as Athena, now known as Willow Rosenberg, grew up alone.. alone even though she had friends.

I stayed close to her always. I would visit her with my mother at dawn, with eventually became my favourite time of day. Athena or, as she was now, Willow would open her eyes at dawn and the first person she would see was me. I found it strange that my sister could see me, especially since I was supposed to be invisible to all humans.

'It could be the Furling part of her' I thought to myself as I made funny faces at my sister. I laughed when she laughed, and when she couldn't take it anymore… when her need was great.. she would cry and the ones known as Sheila and Ira would come take care of her. Over time, they became more concerned with work, and Willow was left with a caregiver. Either way, my mother and I stayed with her; usually as balls of light.

My mother and I stayed with her through her years growing up in Sunnydale. I always watched over her, at least until the day she and her friend, Xander Harris, were turned into vampires. I made my presence known after they were attacked, and I was about to risk it all by killing the vampires… I felt the power I had grow inside me, the power that millions of worshippers who were unknowingly fuelling my power to the level of a god by giving up their free will in the worship of the Goa'uld known as Hera. I gathered storm clouds over the city, my face became hot as prepared to fire.. I was prepared to be punished by the Others… I was prepared to suffer forced descension, all to protect my sister.

However, at the last moment before I could do anything, my mother intervened and brought me to here. And that was the last time I saw my sister as a human being. I watched as she slaughtered her family, I was as she killed on the orders of the Master. Me and my mother could only watch in horror at what she was doing.

My sister was turned into a monster.

However, I knew deep down that wasn't true as well. What these humans thought they knew about vampires were absolutely wrong. I had hoped that at least someone on what the humans refer to as the Watchers Council would know the truth; for if they did, then I could have budged them along to find a way to save my sister.

But no one knew.

Not even the man who was supposed to be the Slayer's watcher.

"You are wrong" I remembered telling the older man as he read books in the library about any information he could use to kill the Master, the vampire that was responsible for making my sister into a vampire. I was outside his perception as I looked at him, and then walked around the table.. looking at the books her was reading, "the soul never leaves the body, and the body doesn't die. The demon spreads itself into the body, turning it into itself. The demon is so strong, so powerful that it suppresses the soul of the human it enters. But that process taints the soul of the turned; the original soul starts to darken. The longer the demon is in control of the body, the more the soul is tainted; and the more it's tainted, the less remains of the original person the vampire used to be. The body doesn't die, not until the weakness of wood is used against it. And that is because the demon takes everything with it as it dies, everything except the tainted soul. There is a reason the Master looks the way he does, there is a reason why he looks like the demon that is occupying him. His human soul is gone, all that remains is demon."

I looked away from the man before closing my eyes. I could still hear Willow screaming.. I could still hear her soul crying out for help.

I opened my eyes again and sighed before leaving the library of the school.

It was four years later that a woman from an alternate reality came through to this one; a Cordelia Chase. I scanned her mind and smiled when I saw visions of Athena.. a happy Athena… a living Athena. Then I had to watch in horror as Willow and Xander killed her after she was rescued by the librarian and his friends.

But I knew that there was hope.. I knew that somewhere in another reality, my sister was still alive.

It was two days later that the current Slayer, a Buffy Summer arrived in Sunnydale after being called for by the librarian. I watched as they made a plan of attack, and then.. then it brings me to this day.

I am watching from the walkways of a warehouse, a warehouse that was meant to be a blood factory for vampires. I am watching as the Slayer shot at the Master, I am watching as Athena jumps off the stage and starts to go on the attack. I watch as humans attack her, humans that consist of the so called White Hats that saved Cordelia Chase.

My eyes are on Athena the whole time as I float down to the floor below; as two humans grabbed Willow and were starting to push her back. I sensed that many humans died, I sensed that the Slayer died.. but I didn't care.

'Athena's soul is about to be freed' I thought to myself when she suddenly vanished.

I looked on confused; as did the two humans when she suddenly reappeared.

My questions running through my head were quickly dispelled when the two humans grabbed her again. I smiled as they pushed her through a broken stake made out of wood. I watched at she turned to ash before they went for another target.

They didn't see what I saw. A pale circular light covered in swathes of darkness. I reached for the orb, and then held it in the palm of my hand before I pulled back my arm and brought it to my face. I could hear Willow's voice still asking for help. I could feel her sorrow and anguish.

I saw the swathe of darkness changing shape and floating over the pale white orb.. the same orb which should have been shining bright white. I looked at the soul, and smiled.

"I will help you," I told the orb, "you told me that I was your light in the darkness, now I will be exactly that. I will bring you back from the darkness, Athena; my dear sister, you are coming home."

TBC.


	2. Chapter 2

As I look at the ball of light in my hand, I think about what it should have been - A bright shining light that could make the darkest corners of the universe light up; a bright light that would chase away the darkness.

At least that is how I feel when I look at the Orb in my hand.

As I stand in the middle of the humans fighting around me, I look up and watch as they kill one vampire after another. But to me, in the grand scheme of things, none of that matters. None of this matters.

It does not concern me that I may be thought of as arrogant; what I say is the truth, battles like this that is happening all around me is beneath the Ascended… even beneath the ones known as the Powers that Be. After looking at all of the killing of vampires and humans, I look once again at the pale ball of light in my hand. I look at the swathe of darkness that is floating just above the surface of the orb.

It is then that I feel a pull deep within me.

I know what is about to happen; I have interfered in my sister's death.. her soul was meant to go into the ether; but I stopped it. I could hear the sounds of thunder in the distance, but I still do not care.

I saved my sister; that is the only thing that matters to me.

So I wait, and I hope. I remember the case of the Goa'uld called Anubis. He tricked one of my own, Oma Desala, into ascending him to the higher plains. But once he was ascended, the true Anubis was revealed. It was only then that Oma saw not just the darkness in his heart.. but also throughout his entire being.

It must be said that the Ascended are not gods; we make mistakes… just as Oma had done thousands of years ago with Anubis.

When she realized her mistake, she begged the Others to send him back down. Figuring that they had a way to punish Oma for ascending those she felt should be ascended, instead of them doing it on their own; the Others punished her by forcing Anubis only halfway down into the mortal plain. He was a being of energy who covered himself in a shield. The Others told him that he was not to use his ascended powers, or use any knowledge that he would not have otherwise gained as a Goa'uld. Despite that, Anubis was smart… he has been devastating the system lords in secret… and all Oma could do was watch as he begun his mission of conquest.

Now as I look at the Orb, I know in my heart that this is nothing like Anubis. I know that Anubis was pure evil and not worth even attempting to save… but Athena's soul is still worth saving. But I am also prepared for the decision the Others could make; that darkness is darkness, that they experienced the worst of it by having Anubis among them.. and now they did not want another one.

Not even one who used to be one of us.

I then felt another pull around me as I opened my mouth, gasped, and then stepped back as the warehouse simply melted away and I found myself in a white space. Everywhere I look, I just saw white.. pure white… the only darkness being the swathe that was floating on my sister's soul.

"Hera Ren!" said a deep voice as I looked up from the orb saw dark clouds gathering above me. I could see lightning jumping from one cloud to another, and I knew that the collective had arrived; The Others.

I look at the Orb again, and then I took in a deep breath before looking up at the clouds that had already surrounded me.

"I have come to beg for the life, and rebirth, of my sister; Athena Ren of Atlantis."

"We know," said the voice while I looked up as millions of Ascended voices spoke as one, "Athena Ren chose to descend to the lower plains, then she was bitten and turned into a being of darkness, and then she was killed. Her essence was never meant for ascension again, the darkness in her is something that will take many years to pass and she cannot be kept here."

"But if she is kept on Earth," I shouted at them, "then her essence, her soul will be absorbed into the ether."

"So it should be," said the group together.

I looked up at the dark clouds and shouted 'no'. It was then that I felt warmth course through my body.

"She was one of us,"

I recognized the voice that spoke as a light landed next to me. I looked on as the light took on the form of my mother, who smiled back at me before she looked at the orb in my hand. She reached out for it, so I gingerly handed her the pale Orb into the palm of her hand. She looked at the Orb as tears started to form in her eyes before she brought the Orb to her chest and closed her eyes.

The voices that were once speaking stayed silent as they watched a mother hold the essence of her daughter close to her own heart. It took a few minutes before the group started to speak as one again.

"Melina," they said as my mother raised her head and listened, while I walked closer to my mother and held her hand, "while it is true that Athena remained as one of us for thousands of years, it was her own free will that made her give up everything she was so that she could descend. She died a death at the hands of humans, she was never meant to be raised to the higher plains again. The darkness within her has the potential to infect all of us. There is a reason that we punished Oma for what she did in bringing Anubis here."

"I…."

I wanted to give my rebuttal but I was interrupted.

"You broke our law of non-interference Hera and…."

I didn't listen to what they were saying; in fact I ignored what the Others were saying as I looked up at the dark cloud and asked to be heard.

"Very well," the Others had told me after they had spoken their peace on what they were going to do to me.

I told the Others that I was, and always would be, Athena's light; her way back from the darkness.

"I will be her keeper," I shouted at the Others before I looked at the look on my mother's face, the look that was asking me what I thought I was doing. I smiled at her before looking up at the Others again, "connect my light to her. Connect me to her in every way that matters. I will share her darkness… I will share her nightmares, I will share everything she became so that I can lead her through her darkest moment."

"Hera!"

I looked at my mother and told her that I had to do this; that I wanted my sister back in my life.. that she wanted her two daughters back. My mother told me that she would also offer her light to help Athena, but it was then that the Others interfered and said that only one may make the connection.

"Then let it be me!"

My mother had told them before looking at me.

"Hera is Athena's light," my mother told them, "but I am her mother. You can do the same thing for either of us. And I am demanding… no.. I am wanting it to be me. My daughters have already gone through hardships and… and I should be the one to do this. Connect…"

My mother was about to say something else when another light landed by her side. The light formed into the man my sister once loved on Atlantis; Janus. He told my mother, and the Others, that while he understood what Melina was saying; the best chance for Athena to dispel the darkness within her was to join my light with her own. He told the Others that my excess power collected from being worshiped would be a buffer between my light, and the darkness that surrounded Athena; it would prevent the darkness in Athena from infecting me. At the same time, the link formed between us would help to relight her essence.. making it easier for Athena to recover.

"You will not have access to your abilities, Hera Ren," said the Others as I looked up and nodded my head, "however, you will still be an Ascended being. But Athena is your responsibility, only once her darkness has been dispelled will she be allowed back into our ranks."

"Thank you."

I looked at my mother who was crying as she walked over to me. She told me that she'll come visit everyday. I kissed my mother on her cheek before she handed me Athena's Orb.

I whispered I love you into the orb as a bolt of lightning from the clouds hit the orb, and then it hit me.

All I remember at that point in time was me screaming.

**Unknown World, many years later.**

The first fifty years after Athena's restoration was difficult for all of us involved,

For Athena because she had to live through her murders every single night when she was no longer catatonic for most of the day.

For me because I saw everything that she did; I shared her dreams because of our link. And although my excess light prevented Athena's darkness from infecting me… that did not mean I was spared her nightmares. I saw her murder her parents, first her father.. and then her mother. I saw her and others murder men, women and children. I would wake up from my bed in our shared cabin in the middle of a grassy plain on a wide cliff that overlooked the ocean when I'd hear her scream. I would get out of bed, the nightmare still fresh in my mind while I crossed over to the screaming and thrashing redhead in the bed next to mine. I would be punched and kicked by Athena as she screamed while she had nightmares of what she did. I suffered numerous black eyes, and bruises all over my body.. but I'd still hold on to her and hum a song; the same song that I remember Athena used to sing to me. I would hold on to her until the kicking, screaming and punching stopped while wiping my eyes at the state of my sister. When she would calm down, I would look down at Athena's green eyes and caress her cheek while telling her that I was there for her… that I would be by her side. At times, it would be my mother who would take my place after she requested that the Others lock her powers until Athena was well enough to ascend.

She did not want me to handle this alone.

We shared the responsibility for many more decades as Athena slowly started to recover her memories. She slowly remembered her life as Willow before she was turned in a vampire, and then she remembered her life on Atlantis, and then she remembered her life… or unlife, as a vampire. She would always sob at those memories. Sometimes we would find her looking out the window as she sat on her bed before she would look at me and mother before giving us that smile we loved.

There would be times when the three of us would walk on the grass and smell the fresh air while laying down on the damp green. Soon we started to meditate as Athena recalled Oma's teachings on Kheb. At times, our friend Melia would appear to Athena before the both of them would go for long walks for hours before heading back. My mother and I could feel a new sense of self from Athena while we looked at her go about her day. The first time Melia visited Athena, she told us that Oma was battling Anubis... that the creature tried to destroy the galaxy and it had taken a human from Earth, a former ascended being, to encourage her to act against the Others once again. But this time, Melia told us that hey did not interfere.. that Oma was battling Anubis for all time; two matrices of energy battling each other. It was years later that she returned with news that my sister's friend, Ganos Lal was battling something called the Orici in the higher planes as well. She told us about the galactic war that took place after the defeat of the Goa'uld; the new enemies this time were the Ori.

It was years later that Melia brought someone to visit us. A grey haired man in Earth clothes as he stood next to her, who then vanished. My mother and I stood next to Athena as the man walked up to us before introducing himself as Jack. He then looked at my sister and told her that Melia thought that listening to him could help her remember an important lesson that Oma had once thought her a long time ago.

I saw him reach out his hand before Athena took it. He then tucked her arm under his before asking her if she'd like to accompany him on a walk. My mother and I smiled as Athena chuckled while nodding her head. He then turned to my mother and asked for her permission to take her for a walk.. to which she nodded her head. We saw Jack's lips moving while they were walking away, but we couldn't hear anything. The both of us looked at each other before looking out at the ocean in the distance. It was an hour before we noticed Jack and Athena walking back; a smile on my sister's lips. Once he returned my sister to the cabin, Jack stepped back before looking at our cozy home.

"I've got something like this in Minnesota," he told us before saying that his wife was waiting for him back in the Milky Way. He then told Athena to remember what he said, that what Oma told her was right all those years ago.

"Met her twice," Jack told us, "Danny misses her words of wisdom. Anyway, remember what I said, remember what Oma taught you... you'll be alright."

"Thank you, Jack O'Neill," said Athena as Jack glowed before he vanished.

My mother and I then turned to Athena who gave us a wide smile and told us that she was finally ready. Athena told us that Jack lived a hard life, that he had done a lot of dark things in his lifetime… things that couldn't even be repeated. She continued to say that Jack's darkest point was when his son accidentally shot himself using the man's own gun. My mother and I listened in silence as Athena told us that he lost his life after his son died… he lost his love… he lost everything… so he attempted suicide many times; but he just could not pull the weapon's trigger. She said that the day he decided to kill himself for real.. he was called for a special mission. Athena told us about the first time Earth activated what my people call the Astra Portia; what the people of Earth call the Stargate. Athena told us what his mission was, that he was supposed to check for danger.. and if there was one.. he was supposed to blow a nuclear device. Athena told that that was his plan after they went through, that he was going to send the others back… and then he would stay behind to die in the ensuing blast.

"but things changed when he met people there," said Athena as my mother and I listened. She said that they gave him a reason to move on with his life.. that there was something to live for. Athena said that once he returned to Earth, he knew that everything he once had was gone.. he knew that every dark deed he once did would live with him for all time, but he needed to look to the future.

Athena said told us that was the lessen Oma thought her all those years ago.

"I must accept whatever little darkness lives within me" Athena told us as she started to glow while my mother and I smiled, "darkness, no matter how little it is now, I had in life, would be with me for all time. I just have to accept it and move on."

I sensed the darkness in my sister had gotten to a point where I couldn't feel it anymore… but I could sense a tiny bit that still lay there in her essence. But that wasn't enough to harm her, or anyone else. My mother and I smiled as she closed her eyes and continued to glow a bright white. The light eventually overcame her while we looked on as a brilliant ball of energy shot into her; her full powers, her knowledge, her immortality - my sister returned to me.

It was just then I felt a tingle in my body as I looked at my hands which started to glow. I then looked at my mother who started to glow as well… the Others were returning our powers to us. I saw the light fade around Athena as she smiled at us in her white and gold dress. Then once our lights had faded away, I saw my mother in her favorite dress.. and I was in my chosen dress as an Ascended being.

It was then that I gave my sister a hug; the tightest hug that I could give her.

"My light" whispered Athena in my ear.

"My Heart," I said as my heart warmed.

I then stepped back and held Athena's hand, while holding my mother's with my other hand. The last time time Ganos visited us, she told us that my father was awoken by people from Earth.. that he sacrificed his life to help them complete his life's work; a way to destroy the Ori. When we heard the news, we were devastated.. we lost our powers so we were unable to got to him, but now things were different. We were going to head to my father's laboratory, we were going to collect his body and then head to Pegasus and bury him where my body used to be, and where my mother's body used to be. And from there.. well, the universe is completely open to us. We'll be three Ancients that travel from one galaxy to another throughout the universe, collecting knowledge, watching the rise and fall of civilizations… we will continue going for all time.

And all through that, I will have my mother and Athena by my side.

The End.


End file.
